Zydeco
by Darkspace7
Summary: "He stared in silence for a good long moment before he covered his face with a gloved hand and let out a quiet groan. This boy was going to be the death of him." Or the five times that Enzan had accidentally called Blues his "Dad" and the one time he didn't. [Part of the "Law of Robotics" AU]


**_A/N: Heyo. Me again. Yep here's another one. To be frankly honest just I'm just as surprised as you are._**

 _ **Alright so let me go ahead and get the whole disclaimer schtick out of the way.**_

 _ **'This author doesn't own the**_ **.EXE _anime_** _ **,**_ **Battle Network** _ **, or other such properties. They belong to**_ **Capcom** _ **and its affiliated parties.'**_

 _ **Got it? Good.**_

 _ **As you can plainly see this is set in the same verse as my "**_ **Law of Robotics AU** _ **". Not gonna lie,**_ _ **pretty much the entire reason I made this is because I just wanted to see Blues acting being an awkward dad to baby Enzan. Also, a quick heads up since I couldn't actually find a name for Enzan's mum anywhere I sort of just came up with one of my own but don't worry she won't be making an appearance in this other than an off-hand mention or two so...-Shrug-**_

 ** _...Also on a completely unrelated note, I firmly believe that the Hikari twins can mimic each other's voices perfectly. And they totally use this ability to fuck with others. Why? -Shrugs- Why not._**

 _ **Anywho, let's go.**_

* * *

[ 001 ]

The little figure hesitated uncertainly in the center of the opulent hall, one hand latched tightly to the leg of his pants while the other clutched a sheet of coloured paper within its grasp. He shifted from one foot to the other, his tiny feet sinking into the plush red carpet. "Um..." Deep blue eyes flickered up from his shoes to the being that towered above. "Daddy?"

"No, I told you that Lani wasn't going to be able to get that through production until the next quarter."

"Ah, Daddy...?"

"And you'll be able to include that within the next company report? Excellent."

The young child's lips puffed out slightly at the thought of being ignored but just then something seemed to occur to him. Perhaps it was just that his father couldn't hear him? So maybe if he spoke a bit louder then...

" _Daddy._ "

The man didn't so much as spare him a glance as he said somewhat distractedly, "Not now Enzan, I'm busy." Then proceeded to forge his way down the hall and away from the boy. "So you'll be able to incorporate that into the new prototype's design? Great. Now if we'll be able to get it all done by Tuesday..." And then he was gone.

"Daddy..."

His gaze dropped down to the piece of paper he held within his hand. Four brightly coloured faces stared back at him, each one with an equally bright smile outlined in red crayon. Wordlessly, he folded the sheet into an exact square and carefully slipped it into his pocket. Turning about-face, he started off back in this way with only a single destination in mind: his bedroom.

[-]

With a muted click, the door opened up to reveal the form of a young boy. He slumped through through the opening, proceeding to trudge on through the room over to the large bed. Silently, he stared at the piece of furniture for a moment before collapsing face first into the soft mattress. He groaned.

"...Young master?"

The somewhat bewildered voice was summarily ignored in favour of burying himself deeper into the thick comforter. This left the speaker with a bit of a dilemma; something was _clearly_ bothering the boy but as to what he had no idea. Coupled with the fact that -depending on what the problem was- the ways that he possibly could go about fixing it were actually rather limited at the moment, it was enough to make him frown. Well regardless of that, he wasn't going to get anywhere if he stop and ask so, "What's wrong?"

The child rolled over on his side and it was a good deal before he heard a tiny voice whisper, "I miss Mama, Blues."

The aforementioned being froze.

"Why'd she have to go?" He continued on with a small sniff. "Do you know?"

Ah friggin' _hell_. How did one even _begin_ to venture into the complex intricacy that was the cycle of life and death? Honestly, he had no fucking idea how to explain that to a full grown _adult_ , let alone an -admittedly bright- child who had only just recently lost his mother. But still he had to try, "She...was very sick young master for quite some time. I'm _certain_ she did not wish to part with you either but I don't think she really had a choice in the matter." He murmured softly, hoping that this would help the boy see and perhaps not be upset any further than he already was.

He failed _spectacularly_.

" _Mama..._ "

Oh no. Was the kid going to start crying? Crap, he was _terrible_ with crying children. Oh please don't start, please don't start, _shit_ -

"I _hate_ this."

The train of thought jerked to a halt. He quickly glanced up to see the other had curled himself into a tight little ball in the center of the sheets. Every now and again a quiet sniffle would escape the four-year-old's frame.

"I hate this." He echoed tonelessly. "Daddy's always so busy now. Doing business and talking on the phone to those weird suited people. I tried to show him my new drawing earlier but he didn't even look at me." The tiny ball scrunched himself a bit tighter into his makeshift comforter-shield. The fabric muffled his voice somewhat, "Plus he keeps calling me that weird name for some reason."

' _Ijuuin..._ ' A brief flicker of confusion crossed his face before shifting into something darker. "What do you mean?"

Babyish features screwed up as if they had eaten a particularly sour lemon, "The weird name, I think it's 'Enzan' or something another."

...Oh. When the kid had said 'weird' he had thought...Nevermind. He shook his head a bit. But still- "Your name's _Eugene_." The confusion was palpable in his tone.

"Yep. Eugene Chaud Blaze." He nodded, reciting it flawlessly as if he had practised saying it that way until he had it down pat. Which, come to think of it, was probably _exactly_ what he had done. The kid was kind of a perfectionist. The four-year-old's brows then furrowed as if he had been met with a particularly difficult puzzle. "I tried to tell him that but he just said: 'No, you're an Ijuuin now and an Ijuuin must posses a name befitting of his stature. Not that common Ameroupic trash.'"

A gloved hand twitched as shaded eyes narrowed dangerously, ' _Shuuseki you_ bastard-'

"But that doesn't make sense." He slowly tugged a pillow down and hugged it to his chest. "Mama said she and Daddy picked that out special for me so why would he say something like that?"

"Eugene..." In the back of his mind he could feel the sensation of nails biting deep into his palm as the hand of guilt weighed heavily on his chest. 'Be he isn't actually your father kid, that's why. _I am_.' But he couldn't say that. Not for a number of reasons.

" _Urgh_ , Daddy and everyone's been all confusing since Mama left and nothing ever makes sense anymore!" He could hear the utter frustration in the child's tone plain as day as it all finally became too much for his stubborn little heart to handle and he gave in to the urge to cry.

"I-I just want her to come back s-so things'll go back to _normal_." He hiccuped a bit, "A-and then I'd get to show her all my drawings a-and she'd get to s-see you _too_ Blues! A-and since she'd be here then Daddy'd be happy and I'd be happy and e-everyone else'd be h-happy too." The small child buried his tear-splotched face further into the safety of his pillow.

"...I..." He swallowed thickly, "I just really miss her, Blues. I miss her and it _hurts_ and I don't like it." His son admitted in a tiny voice.

' _Oh Eugene..._ ' Unbidden, the mirage-like memory of a kindhearted woman with warm eyes and an even more radiant smile came to him. He felt the sharp stab of pain as the phantom knife twisted in his heart. ' _Veronica..._ ' He seemed to sigh, ' _I've made a right mess of things now haven't I? You always were better with this sort of thing than I._ ' The heavy ache of longing lodged within his chest burned something fierce. "Yeah, I miss her too kid. Your mother was one of a kind." He murmured with a sad sort of smile.

It was a bit before the hiccuping sobs petered out and he was left with one emotionally drained little boy. Seizing on the opportunity provided for him, he began though not unkindly, "Hey kiddo, maybe you should go ahead and get some rest. It won't do you any good to be all tired out like that, and hey, how about when you wake up you go ahead and show me those drawings you were talking about, huh?"

The bleary-eyed boy scrubbed a hand tiredly at his face. He appeared to consider it for a moment before the allure of sleep in a nice warm bed proved to be too much for the tired boy and he conceded, "'Kay."

He watched as the child tugged back the messy covers and proceeded to situate himself underneath. Within seconds he had already begun to drift off into the realm of slumber, a testament as to how worn he truly had been. Seeing as he was now asleep, Blues felt it was safe enough to bid his son a 'goodnight' which is why he had a damn near heart attack when he heard a tiny voice respond:

"G'night Dad."

He stared in silence for a good long moment before he covered his face with a gloved hand and let out a quiet groan. This boy was going to be the death of him.

[ 010 ]

A heated visage met with a glacial gaze as the duo stared down one another from across the battlefield. The elder uttered a low grow as they glanced down at the small figures on display. Evidently displeased with what was seen they clicked their tongue in annoyance.

"You _little pest_ , I'll show you! Hold on, I'm sending a chip your way." With practised ease a battlechip slid into the device's slot.

Frost-like eyes narrowed imperceptibly, " _Blues_."

"On it."

The red-clad figure nimbly dodged a burst of spreader fire with a quick dive-roll to the right. A cluster of minibombs materialized in his adversary's hands the operator slotted in _yet another_ battlechip. Honestly now, how many of the damn things did this person even _have_? Because it was starting to get ridiculous.

' _They aren't even rare ones either._ ' Came the thought as the navi began to lob the explosives at him. He dashed forward, ducking and weaving through the resultant explosions with such speed that he was nothing more than a crimson blur. He allowed himself a small smirk. This was too easy.

Enzan watched from above, his hawk-like gaze focused solely on the battle at hand. He toyed with the chips in his hand for a moment, lips pursed deep in thought. "Blues, incoming." He said suddenly as he slotted in the first chip- "Sword." -then the second- "Area steal." -and then stepped back as the data began to transfer.

He felt his arm morph into a lethal-looking blade to which he took only a fraction of a second to admire before the second chip kicked in and he _vanished_.

" _Shit_ , keep your eyes open! He has to be around there somewhere, _speedy little bastard_..."

"O-Okay then boss..." The navi swallowed nervously as they glanced around themself. There didn't seem to be any trace of the swordsman which left them to wonder, "Now where'd he go...?" Only to have the question answered in the form of a red blur appearing behind them with a bladed arm poised to strike.

"Gah-!"

He landed gracefully away from the dispersing data and dismissed the blade. Turning, he glanced up to meet the deep blue gaze of his companion. ' _See kid?_ ' His silent form seemed to say, ' _That wasn't hard at all._ ' There was a faint light of approval glimmering in other's eyes that caused his smirk to make a reappearance.

"Argh, _my navi_! Dang it, you guys _suck_!" The other whined but neither he nor his son paid them any mind. Seeing as they quite obviously were being ignored they stomped their foot and stormed off, grumbling all the while about 'stupid speedy navis' and 'eggshell-headed brats.' The childish display was almost enough to bring forth a snort but there really wasn't anything he could do about someone being who was simply a sore loser. After all, its not his fault that they challenged someone with such an obvious (if somewhat unfair) advantage.

"Enzan-sama," There was the faintest hint of a smile in his tone, imperceptible to all but those who truly knew him. "Congratulations on your first ever victory." And there it was, the magic words that melted the seriousness off his son's face and replaced it with something brighter and a touch more relaxed.

"Blues..." The six-year-old stared intently at him for a moment before he broke out into a toothy grin. "You _did it_!" He lifted the PET with a laugh that made red-clad being feel admittedly pleased with himself. Enzan spun on his heel, once, twice, and then a third time. Each rotation accompanied with a chorus of 'You did it!'s and 'I can't believe it!' before he had to force himself to stop, apparently having become dizzy in the process.

This however did absolutely nothing to diminish the sparkle of glee in the child's eye at the thought of their _very first netbattle win_. "I can't believe it." He repeated once more with a shake of the head. "We actually did it Dad." He let out a laugh, apparently not quite having noticed what exactly that had been said.

He, however, had.

And he couldn't have been prouder.

[ 011 ]

A chill filtered down and around tense shoulders as it passed through the shadowed room. The faint whir of the air conditioning mingled with the click-clack of the keyboard as he typed. Deep blue eyes focused intently on the bright contrast of the computer screen, utterly dedicated to the task at hand. A soft click emanated from the door as a suited figure poked their head in curiously.

"Sir?"

"Put them there." A hand gestured to the empty corner of the desk.

The secretary nodded, placing the stack of papers down where he had indicated and with them came a fresh cup of coffee. They took a step back, "Sir, I'm getting ready to head out for the evening. Is there anything else that I can do for you before I leave?" The young corporate head simply made a dismissive gesture and they gave a short nod of understanding before proceeding to the exit. "Goodnight sir."

The door clicked shut.

Distractedly, Enzan picked up the coffee cup and took a slow drag of the scalding liquid. His body shuddered lightly at the bitter taste.

"That stuff's pretty bad for you, you know?" A red-clad figure voiced from his place in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

"Its just coffee." The nine-year old shrugged.

An unseen brow rose. "Yeah, and what, your fifth cup in the past two hours?" The boy just sort of grunted, his eyes tracing over a line of text. This brought forth a small frown from the swordsman, "You're not going to be able to sleep tonight if you keep at it."

"Don't need to sleep." Enzan muttered, "What I _need_ is to finish these reports."

He crossed his arms, the present frown deepening. ' _And how is working yourself to the brink of exhaustion going to accomplish that?_ ' He wondered. Because there was no denying it, from the heavy bags illuminated by the sickly glow of the monitor to the subtle way that his hands shook as he attempted to type, the kid was _exhausted_. Yet he had to give him some degree of credit, despite the obvious fatigue the stubborn boy seemed hellbent on seeing the job through to the end. ' _A bit like a certain other someone I know..._ '

He snuck a quick glance at the time projected by the chronometer program.

Three twenty-one in the morning.

His son had been working doggedly for going on sixteen hours now.

The shades masked a wince. Even for a fully grown adult that was a bit much. "Enzan-sama you _need_ to stop for a bit and get some rest. I know you want to try and get this all done but if you don't take a break the stress on your body is liable to wind up _killing_ you. Or at the very least make you seriously ill."

As if in direct opposition he lifted the mug and took a long sip, only grimacing a bit at the bitterness. "Mnh yeah? Fascinating." He mumbled, taking a second to key something in. "Give me five more minutes."

'Five more minutes' my ass- " _Enzan-sama_."

"Five minutes." He repeated in a distracted tone, "I'll take a break as soon as I submit this, Dad." The cup was placed off to the side as he squinted to read the faint lines of a bar graph, apparently approving of what he had found the two-toned boy nodded to himself and continued typing.

He twitched a hair before releasing a put-upon sigh. Well at least when the time came he could say 'I told you so.'

[ 100 ]

 _Achooh!_

" _Urgh_...Not a...s-single... _word_...Blues. I d-don't...want to hear...it."

"Of course Enzan-sama." He complied amiably but the silent feeling of: 'See? I told you this was going to happen, but you just didn't listen now did you?' wore thick between them.

He'd been right, of course, that the kid would continue to work himself until he became sick and now he was reaping what he sowed, which at the moment simply seemed to consist of being forced to listen to his own hoarse breathing as he stared up at the canopy of his bed. As he watched over his son, the faux navi wondered a bit about how it was possible for a face to be both so flushed and so pale at the same time. The boy shuttered and let out a congested sigh.

"This _sucks_."

' _Well maybe next time you'll actually bother to listen to me._ ' He thought as he quickly masked the tiny smirk with the back of his hand. Like hell he would ever admit to doing so but the boy was, without a doubt, _sulking_. It was actually kind of funny.

He shook his head, the smirk falling from his face. That was neither here nor there; perhaps later when the child had actually recovered a bit he could find amusement in the situation, but not now. "Enzan-sama you remember what the doctor said. You are to remain on strict bedrest until the worst of your fever has passed."

The nine-year-old began to fidget, a small grimace upon his fevered face. " _But_ -"

"No. You need rest." A pale brow rose slightly, "Unless you _want_ to stay sick, that is."

Enzan let out an annoyed groan before falling silent, blue eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "W-What's to...stop me from...j-just g-getting up...a-and...leaving?" He huffed.

' _You mean besides the fact that if you were to stand up this very moment you would probably pass out?_ ' He hummed. "Well, for one I have been given express permission from both your doctor and the head of staff to do what is within my power to preserve your wellbeing." Deep brown eyes narrowed behind darkened shades, "These things being -but is are not limited to- contacting the servants and having them come up and handcuff you to the bed so you wouldn't dare try to escape."

The boy _stared_. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

Deep blue versus dark brown faced off as the two stared one another down before, surprisingly, it was Enzan who was the first to cave. He turned away with a huff and stared resolutely at the dark fabric of the canopy above him. Sensing the other's mounting frustration he eased back just a hair, "Look, I'm not doing this because I want to but because it _needs_ to be done. Your body requires the energy so it can recover and make it so that you are healthy again."

Seeing no change in the child's expression he tried another tactic, "I know you don't want to be like this any longer than you have to but don't you think a nap or something will help pass the time a bit better than just staring up at the ceiling all day?"

The other's lips pursed somewhat before his body seemed to sag in defeat. "Okay. _Fine_." He sighed and let his eyes drift shut. Within a heartbeat or two he was out like a light, which only went to show how sick the normally obstinate boy had actually been. And with that out of the way the red-clad swordsman was finally left to his own devices.

' _When did you get so headstrong Eugene?_ ' He wondered, his hand going up to rub the back of his neck in a familiar _human_ gesture before he stopped, letting the limb fall down to his side with a twitch. Honestly, had he ever been that bad as a kid? He thought for a second and a snort bubbled up unbidden as the memory rose within.

Oh he most certainly had.

' _I never wanted to stay in bed either -thought it was a waste of time- and would always try to escape the first chance I got. Would've managed it too if it weren't for Rock._ ' Ah yes, his younger twin brother. For some inexplicable reason the boy always seemed to know just when he was about to stage a jailbreak because there he'd be at his bedside with those wide brown eyes a mirror his own staring back at him. Then he'd ask in that soft tone, ' _What are you doing nii-san?_ '

To which came the reply, ' _Absolutely nothing, little Rock._ ' And then he would proceed to ruffle the brunet's hair. Not that the other ever seemed to believe a word of it, if the annoyed and utterly unimpressed looks were anything to go by. It must've been a twin thing.

' _Or maybe he just knew me too well to buy into my bullshit._ ' He thought with an amused smirk. ' _Then he'd go and get Mom._ ' A care-worn but kindhearted older woman with his doppelganger at her side as they stood in the doorway; his mother and brother respectively. The woman would pad over to his bed and softly chide him as she fussed with the sheets, carefully tucking him back in. Warm calloused hands carded through fluffy brown hair soothingly as his mother bent down to give him a quick peck on the forehead before she returned to her duties.

Once gone, his sibling would shyly slip back in the room and shoot him an apologetic grin before plonking himself down on the edge of his bed. From there he would proceed to regale him whatever new adventure he had managed to get roped into with that Wily girl who lived next door.

The faux navi was broken from his reverie by the sound of a pained whimper, Frowning, he turned to look at the bedridden boy who appeared to be in the throws of a fierce fever dream. Ah, _shit_. Hastily, he pulled up the PET's dialer screen, fully prepared to get into contact with one of the staff to help calm the boy down before he inadvertently hurt himself when a hoarse whisper gave him pause.

"D-Dad...don't l-leave... _please_." The boy's hands twisted into his bedsheets as he shook.

" _Goddamn it._ " He swore low and fierce, just barely holding back a wince as he felt the knife named guilt drive deep into his chest. A gloved palm rested against the PET's screen before it curled back and forcefully struck the glass, the harsh action of which caused the device to wriggle in its charger a bit. Once again he cursed the division between the two worlds that kept him from his son when kid needed him.

Swallowing past the knot in his throat he let his expression shift into that sort of a resolute calm; something which he no way actually felt. "Don't worry son," He said, "I'm not going _anywhere_."

[ 101 ]

"...Did you just-"

"No. No I most certainly did not."

"You _did_ , you totally did!" Brown eyes widened before his expression morphed into that of absolute glee. "You called him 'Dad'!"

The Net Savior's poker face was a force to be reckoned with but if one were to look closely they would be able to spot the taletell flush of red that dusted the boy's cheeks. And spot it they had, if the bark of laughter was any indication. The flush deepened somewhat.

"Hikari." He grit out, "I can assure you that what you _thought_ you heard and what I had actually said were two _wildly_ different things."

The other folded his arms across his chest and lifted a single eyebrow as if to say 'oh really?' "So if that's the case," He drawled, "then what _did_ you say?"

"'Dud' as in 'this particular area's a dud and we should really get a move on.'" It was complete and utter bullshit and they knew it.

"Mhm." Netto hummed before seeming to shrug with that self-same smirk, "Hey man, what business of mine is it if you think of him like a parental figure or something? I ain't gonna judge." The smirk broadened a touch, "Actually I think it's kind of sweet-"

"Hikari if you dare finish that sentence I will _punch_ you." Enzan's flush darkened further still as icy blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "Not that it's any of your business in the first place what I do or do not decide to call my navi." He grumbled under his breath. "Must I remind you that I said _nothing of the sort_ of what you erroneously insist on implying? I feel that perhaps you would know this if you bothered to get your hearing checked every once in a while."

The other boy bristled, "Oi! What's my hearing got to do with any of this?!"

"Well seeing as you appear to ignore even the simplest of commands it leads me to believe that something must obviously be wrong with it."

"Why you-"

As the two children bickered Rockman turned to the red-clad being beside him. "So 'Dad' huh?"

"Not a single word."

The blue navi simply cocked a brow and sent the other a decidedly _amused_ look. Suddenly he was rather thankful for the fact that his helmet concealed the majority of his face as it left the other unable to see the subtle way his eye twitched. But it was, however, unable to mask the small bubble of happiness that welled up within at his son's words. A factor of which that the perceptive boy seemed to catch if that damned knowing smirk were any indicator. He shot the other a _look_ and the youth chuckled.

"Shut it." He groused.

"Hey I didn't say anything." He said, lifting his hands in mock-surrender. But the cheeky brat's smirk only seemed to widen. It was rather eerie how much he resembled his brother when he did that so in order to fend off the shiver brought about by the thought of another hellion such as Netto running about he thwacked the kid on the shoulder. Rockman let out a sharp yelp and rubbed at his shoulder a bit, "You _jerk_." He turned away and muttered under his breath, " _Least now I know where Enzan gets it from._ "

Brown eyes narrowed behind a set of darkened shades and wondered briefly if his brother would mind too much if he 'accidentally' shoved his kid off into a pit full of viruses. Probably, but at the very least it would wipe that damn smirk off his face.

[ 110 ]

A faint beam of sunlight trickled down through the mansion's great glass windows, the beautiful day outside in stark contrast to the heavy atmosphere percolating within. Neither party seemed particularly keen to speak just yet, the former being perfectly content to sip her strawberry tea in leisure while the latter was left to stew in his thoughts. The soft tick-tock of the grandfather clock stood sentinel to the weighted silence.

The girl took a lengthy drink of tea before delicately placing the teacup down on the table that separated her from her guest. "So you need my help." It was a statement of fact not a question. The blonde sat back, her hands folded primly in her lap. "I never thought I'd see the day."

Deep blue eyes shifted over to the couch where the Ayanokoji heiress lay. His expression remained decidedly impassive- blank save for the subtle twitch of his jaw. His fists curled then slowly unfurled at his side. He was no stranger to this game. He knew full good and well that to respond to such tactics in an unfavourable manner would do nothing to endear her to him and such could not be allowed. Nor could he display any hint of weakness before them either. Not now when she was already in a position of power over him. Not now when there was so much at stake.

As much as the idea grated against his ingrained sense of pride, he was not an idiot. If he wished for this venture to have any hope of success then he needed the resources that Ayanokoji was able to provide.

He needed help.

"Not that I'm not flattered or anything, but you _must_ recognize the significance of this no?" She placed a delicate hand on her chin, chocolate eyes observed him keenly. "You're asking my family's corporation - _a rival company_ \- for assistance. Surely with your status you _must_ be able to use it to some advantage, if not within your own company and its affiliates, then perhaps your own father? He _is_ the head of IPC after all."

The words struck a nerve and his gaze darkened. Absolutely not. If the man somehow got wind of what he was trying to do _before_ he got the support of someone like the Ayanokoji family then both he and Blues could kiss their sorry asses goodbye. One did not become the president of a multi-billion Zenny corporation without some measure of ruthlessness and Shuuseki Ijuuin had it in _spades_. No, IPC and its holdings were off-limits. Ergo, the reason why he was even there in the first place.

He internally grimaced, hand fisting at his side. Really though, the bastard had brought it down upon himself. _Nobody_ was allowed to threaten his family and get away with it.

"For a multitude of reasons that I do not wish to get into at the moment that option is off the table until further notice." He intoned with a sprinkle of frost. Catching sight of his growing irritation, he reigned it back a touch and mentally counted to ten. Once done, he opened his eyes. "Ayanokoji-san listen, I was lead to believe that with the help of your family's vast network of connections that you would be able to accomplish practically _anything_ you set your mind to." He leaned in just a bit, a hint of challenge in his stare. "Unless that is not the case?" His heart thudded in his chest as he waited for her to rise to the bait.

"Hold on now," And success! "To simply write off the expansive capabilities of the Ayanokoji family is a fool's game an we both know it." Chocolate eyes flashed with a sliver of molten steel before solidifying into something a touch cooler. "Now it while it would be a lie to say I was not the _slightest_ bit intrigued by your rather curious venture I find that something must be brought adressed." She steepled her fingers together, "Namely, why in heaven's sake should I help you?"

' _Because I need you to. Because_ we _need you to._ ' Came the thought.

Because he couldn't stand to spend another minute in that _godforsaken_ house with a liar who had kept him from his actual flesh and blood for all these years all because he blamed them for something that they absolutely had no control over. Someone who didn't give a damn about him anyway, just so long as he didn't do anything 'unbefitting of an Ijuuin'. Because this was the only way the bastard would be unable to so much as lay a hand on them.

Because this was the only way he could be with his Dad.

But he said none of this, of course. He didn't need to. Because the red-clad hologram that had materialized on his shoulder had spoken for him.

"Because despite everything that should say otherwise you, Yaito Ayanokoji, are not a horrible person." The tiny figure paused for a beat, "Plus if you do it you'll get to piss off the head of one of your company's biggest rivals and he'll-" He jerked a thumb at the boy whose shoulder he was standing on, "-owe you one."

Okay wait what? He looked at the miniature figure for a moment. ' _I know we're desperate but_ seriously _Blues?_ '

Yaito hummed thoughtfully, "Tempting, but I don't know..."

Damn it all to the deepest pits of the Undernet. He most certainly was going to hate himself for this later but desperate times called for desperate measures. Mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do he took a deep fortifying breath, slowly rose from his seat, and _bowed_.

"Ayanokoji-san _please_."

It was dead silent. His tightly clenched hands quietly shook as he stood there awaiting the final verdict. The judgement which would prove to be either their salvation or their damnation. He swallowed. This just _had_ to work.

"Alright, alright, I give." She let out a put-upon sigh, "You really know how to tug at a lady's heartstrings don'tcha?" He blinked. What? It had actually worked? Holy _shit_. He risked a glance up to see if the younger girl was actually being serious and caught sight of a strange glimmer shining those chocolate brown eyes. However, he did not have the time to elucidate its meaning as the girl made a gesture for him to rise. "Enough of that now, please return to your seat." He did so without protest.

"Now, I know that said I'd help you," The implied 'but' spoke for itself, "I'm going to need to know what _exactly_ I'm helping you with."

The duo shared a silent look.

Blues shifted back a step, his head tilted inquiringly, 'Do you want to tell her?'

His brow furrowed somewhat, 'Should I?'

A small shrug, 'Well we've already gone this far.' A set of shade-covered brown eyes flicked to the heiress and back, 'I think we can trust her but it's your call.'

Lips thinned imperceptibly as he turned to the girl. Impassive blue eyes roved up and down her form with scrutiny before he seemed to nod to himself. A set of hands folded carefully under his chin as he began, "Ayanokoji-san, how familiar are you with a man by the name of 'Dr. Mikhail Sergeyvich Cossack'?"

A flicker of momentary confusion appeared as the girl thought. "Dr. Cossack?" She murmured slowly, her gaze flicking back to the pair. "Wasn't he a researcher involved with the development of the Pulse-In Transmission System?" Catching sight of the boy's blink of surprise she gave a small smirk, "I remember Netto telling us about it a while back." She elaborated.

' _Damn it Hikari._ ' He resisted the urge to facepalm. Well at least this made his job a bit easier. "As you evidently know, Dr. Cossack was a researcher contracted by Scilab in order to work on the aforementioned project, among other things. As any person tasked with such a great deal he was allotted a bit of assistance in the form of both machinery and laboratory technicians. So that leads into my next question," He leaned forward, unwavering blue gaze trained on the other's form. "Does the name 'Blues Hikari' mean anything to you?"

Chocolate eyes flashed to the red-clad figure on his shoulder for a long pause before slowly trailing down to the younger of the two. They narrowed intently. "I'm listening."

He smiled.

[-]

It was around late afternoon now and the fresh air felt cold and crisp against his face. He stopped for a moment to just breath it in.

After a drawn out series of detailed explanation after explanation he had _finally_ been released from the Ayanokoji heiress's grasp with the full support of both herself and her family behind him. The girl had even gone so far as to offer him the use of one of her massive fleet of vehicles to get him where he needed to go but he had respectably declined, wanting to test out his new-found freedom with his own two feet. Besides she had done enough for the both of them already.

A small smirk flickered into being on his features. Admittedly he'd been somewhat leery of telling the Ayanokoji girl Blues and his secrets but it had well been worth it once he gotten a good look at the expression on the blonde's face. It had been _hysterical_. He blamed the Hikari blood in him for enjoying the whole thing a touch more than he probably should have.

Hopping the curb, he fingered the strap of his knapsack. Contained within were the last remnants of his old life; a couple of sets of clothing and a few pieces of memorabilia that he dare not leave behind lest something happen to them in his absence. Things like, his laptop and battlechip collection or the framed photo of his mother and biological father spending time with his aunt and uncle back in their college years. (He was beyond thankful that had Blues somehow managed to keep it safely hidden for him for so long. Because of it he got to see his mother's smiling face again. Even if it was just in the still frame of a photograph.) All of it rested in the canvas on his back.

He felt a set of dark eyes staring at him and he tilted his head to look at their owner. "What?" He questioned.

The red-clad form of his father shook his head, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Its nothing." Changing the subject, he glanced over at his son. "So have you settled on a name yet?" Right, because he couldn't exactly keep using 'Ijuuin' now could he? He hummed for a moment.

While the man-turned-navi had assured him _repetitively_ that it was perfectly alright for him to use the Hikari name it still didn't quite sit right with him. Plus he had a feeling if a _certain someone_ somehow managed to catch wind of it he would _never_ be allowed to live it down. Maybe someday he would warm up to the idea of being a Hikari but for now he'd have to take a pass.

"How does 'Enzan Blaze' sound to you?" In honour of his late mother. "Because, you know." He shrugged, leaving the rest unsaid.

Blues stilled somewhat before he gave a short nod, a small sad smile briefly ghosted over his features. But still he had to wonder, "You're keeping the first name?"

Another shrug, "I've just kind of gotten used to it, is all." To which the other simply hummed and then fell silent.

They continued on this way for quite some time, keeping an even pace as the sun steadily dipped lower and lower in the sky. Upon the approach of a crosswalk he stopped, deep blue eyes watching distantly as the light flickered from green to a vibrant red. Where did they go from there? He wondered, unintentionally voicing the thought aloud.

"Well," The voice started him out of his daze and he glanced up to the figure on his shoulder quizzically. "How about for now just focus on getting home kid."

Home...Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the light switch to a bright and lively shade of green. He liked the sound of that. With the faint trace of a smile he stared forward again, "Yeah, let's go, Dad."


End file.
